National Film Registry Adds Historically Significant Silent Film

The Library of Congress’ National Film Registry announced on December 12th its selection of 25 new works to their archive. Among the selections is Something Good-Negro Kiss, a silent film from 1898 of great historical importance. The University of Chicago’s website describes the film as follows: “The 29-second clip is free of stereotypes and racist caricatures, a stark contrast from the majority of black performances at the turn of the century.”

The University of Chicago’s Allyson Nadia Field played a major role in identifying the film. She is an Associate Professor in the University’s Department of Cinema and Media Studies and is an expert on African-American cinema. According to the article, “Field relied on inventory and distribution catalogs, tracing the film to Chicago.” She completed her research with the assistance of the Museum of Modern Art.